Oblivious
by Pesky-Dust
Summary: Roxie discovers that Marlon has two things in common with Wailord: He loved water, and he was completely oblivious to her crush on him. If only she had Mold Breaker... *AcidShipping
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Pokémon. If I did, Vanniluxe would come in different flavors.**

**Author's Note: This is my first Pokemon story, be nice! Please enjoy!**

Roxie thought that it was a bit unusual that three new Gym Leaders were being accepted into the Unova League. One of them being herself.

It was very rare for so many Trainers to be accepted as Gym Leaders. But in the last year, the three Straiton Gym Leaders were beaten _badly_ by the Shadow Triad. They resigned as Gym Leaders, since they thought that they should try to train individually instead of together. Lenora resigned because of this big Fossil discovery. Iris resigned, too, but for something completely different. Drayden took the role as the Gym Leader permanently. Brycen resigned to start acting again, and moved to Castelia City.

Three different Trainers took the new roles.

The new first Gym Leader was Cheren. He was a close friend of the girl who stopped Team Plasma from ruling Unova. He fought her a few times, and he lost each time. At first, he wanted to become the Champion, and become stronger. But then what? After training for a few months, he decided to teach other Trainers about their goals, and became a teacher at Aspertia Town. That's mainly the reason he's the new Normal-Type Gym Leader now.

The second new Gym Leader was Roxie. She was just a Trainer that loved Poison-Type Pokemon. She even made a dress and a guitar based on the Scolipede evolution line. She became very famous quickly, and the League thought that she wasn't just a run-of-the-mill Trainer, either, so she was asked to become a Gym Leader. She thought it was the perfect opportunity to perform in front of a large audience, so she accepted.

The next new Leader was a bit different from the others. Marlon was this surfer guy who prefered to swim and surf with Pokémon than fight with them, but, still, he battled sometimes. He only owned Water-Types, and the swimming he did at Lacunosa Town was enough for the Elite Four to think that he was an excellent Trainer. And he proved that he was. Because he was even stronger than Drayden -the Dragon-Type Leader!- he was assigned as the eigth Gym Leader.

Gym Leaders knew each other like the back of their hands. All of them were friendly with each other. They trusted each other. They even battled each other sometimes. Sometimes, some of them would meet up and discuss a bunch of boring stuff. You know, like how much Yen they should give away when defeated, what level their Pokémon should be, blah blah blah.

Roxie never met the other Gym Leaders before, but she usually got to know them quickly, or she hated them off the bat.

She quickly wrote off most of the Gym Leaders as a bunch of different labels during the meeting.

'_Cheren? Boring. Burgh? Weird. Elesa? Cool, but she looks like a stripper. Clay? Old fart. Skyla? Meh, average. Drayden? How does he even talk with that beard?_'

But the one that _really_ caught her attention was Marlon. He was handsome, nice, funny, and shirtless. But _that tan._ She thought it must have been fake, but she wasn't sure.

All through the boring meeting about the use of Potions or whatever, Roxie couldn't help but stare at the tall, muscular Gym Leader. She blushed. Why, why, _why_ did he have to be shirtless? Didn't he even notice the girls staring at him?

He looked at her direction. He smiled and waved.

Roxie blushed, knowing that Marlon saw her staring at him. Her freckles stood out. She smiled sheepishly and waved back. He went back to listening to Alder's lecture.

She wondered how old he was. Unfortunately, he looked a _lot_ older than her. He looked like he was in his late teens. She was fourteen-and-a-half, but because she was short and thin and flat-chested, people assumed she was twelve. She bought dresses to make herself seem a bit older and feminine, but none could magically turn her into a C-cup. How did Elesa and Skyla manage to look like strippers while she looked like an elementary school student?

After the meeting in the unusually tiny building in Nimbasa, she waited inside of the Gear Station for a ride from the Subway Trains. Then, Marlon walked up to her, making a large shadow over her. She held her binder to her heart. She didn't want him to notice how tiny she was.

"Hey," he said, sticking his hand out. "I don't think I've introduced myself yet. I'm Marlon."

She stuck her tiny, freckled hand out at his tanned one. "I'm Roxie. I'm the Gym Leader at the Virbank Gym." _DUH. Why did I just say that?_

"I was just wondering," he said, "if you would like to go to Undella next Saturday with me and a couple of my friends?"

Roxie stared at him. Was that supposed to be a date? "S-Sure!" Even if it wasn't, who cared?

"Cool!" he said, walking towards the subway train that lead to Humilau City, "See you then, dude!"

She waved good-bye at him as he went into the train.

It then occurred to her: '_What should I wear?_'

~Lalalala~

Roxie decided to get another train to Virbank. She thought, '_Who better to go for fashion advice than a supermodel?_'

It was a bit awkward to talk to her, because she always looked a bit intimidating, but Roxie learned that she was one of the sweetest people around Nimbasa, but a bit nosy sometimes.

"Oh, yeah," Elesa said, "Marlon's a sweet guy. He invited a couple other Gym Leaders to come, too. I know Skyla and Brycen were invited."

Roxie became a bit jealous, but then remembered that Marlon was barely sixteen and Elesa was almost thirty. Still, she couldn't help but worry.

"What do you think I should wear, though?" Roxie asked. She hated going to other people for advice, but she was desperate.

"Well, we _are_ going swimming," Elesa said, "Maybe a cute bikini."

Roxie grimaced. Wearing a swimsuit of any kind would show off her curveless, flat-chested body. Marlon was practically built like a Greek god. How could she compete with that?

"Oh, come on," Elesa said, acting like a big sister, "We can definitely find something that can make Marlon drool over you."

**Author's Note: ...It was a bit short, I know! Well, maybe I'll update next Tuesday, but I'm pretty sleep-deprived. Thanks a lot, AP Euro... A review would make me happy! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Ugh, for the last time, I DON'T OWN POKEMON. Get that through your skulls...**

**Author's Note: To everyone who reviewed, faved, or put on their alerts, I have a few words to say...**

**And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! (Poffin points to anyone who got that reference...) Thank you guys! Now, because you guys are amazingly patient, here is the new chapter!**

"Aw, don't you look adorable!" Elesa said as she saw Roxie coming out of the dressing room. Roxie looked a bit irked. "Adorable" wasn't the exact word she wanted. Alright, fine, maybe she'd love hearing that from Marlon, but the way Elesa said it made her feel like a little girl.

After a few hours of trying on horrible swimsuits, Roxie decided on a simple little bikini: the top was a light lavender, the bottom a green-blue color. Roxie liked those colors, hence the reason for the stripes on her dress, but she didn't like swimsuits.

She had to admit: she was not very curvy. Her hips were only slightly starting to get curved. Her chest was something she was not very proud of. It was very small, and, even though they weren't very noticable, she hid them with baggy shirts and dresses. With her soft and pale skin, freckles, and general tiny-ness, she was often mistaken for a little girl. Being fourteen-and-a-half, she was _not_ pleased.

In the swimwear, however, she looked her true age. Her friends often complained that she always wore baggy and challenging clothes, and never really did anything new with herself.

But, now, she wore the swimsuit that made her really look fourteen-and-a-half. She found out that Marlon would not actually turn sixteen until next month, so at least there wasn't _too_ much of an age difference.

~Lalalala~

So Roxie officially has decided that Marlon is the sweetest guy she's ever met.

The party was at Undella Town, as promised. Marlon invited a whole bunch of other people, including the Striaton trio, Elesa (everybody's eyes landed on her once she arrived), Skyla (who rode her Swanna to get there), Cynthia, some Champion from Sinnoh, Alder's grandson (everyone called him Banjirou) and a few other people. Food was served for Pokémon, as well as humans. He had Rare Candies, Pokeblocks, Poffins, and even something called "Ponigiri." It wasn't very much a party, as it was a little gathering for a few Trainers. Still, it was fun, battling, eating, swimming, all that kind of good stuff that Trainers loved doing.

Everyone was just chatting and complimenting each other on their Pokémon when, suddenly, Cynthia shouted, "Oh, everyone! Look at the hatching Tirtouga! They're going out to sea!"

Everyone looked out at the shore, and saw tiny Tirtouga crawling out from the egg shells and into the sea, except for one.

The small Tirtouga was having a very hard time trying to get out of its own Egg, crying out desperately.

Marlon then walked up to the little turtle and picked off a few pieces of the Egg, and the tiny turtle Pokémon crawled out happily, wanting to join its brothers and sisters. Marlon carried it to the edge of the water, and the Tirtouga smiled at him happily before going into the water with its family.

Roxie smiled at him. What other guy would be sweet enough to help a baby Tirtouga into the water?

"Bye, little dude," Marlon called to the Tirtouga, in his usual stereotypic surfer talk.

Roxie blushed when he walked up to her. "Hey, you look great!"

Even though Roxie realized that he towered over her, she couldn't help but smile like an idiot. "Thanks. You look great, too."

Instead of the usual blue skinny jeans, he wore swim trunks. They showed off his muscular legs, but they showed how unbelievably pale they were, too. Roxie was starting to think the tan was fake. But if it was fake, then he would remember to tan his legs and feet, too? And if it _was_ real...

For a while, they talked, mostly about Pokémon and some of their friends, and about the "Team Plasma" problem going around. Roxie felt like asking out to a date, casually, as thought she were simply asking him what his favorite color was, but the words never came out.

They heard a crash, and saw that Grimsley was having a problem feeding the two heads of his Zweilous. Marlon and Cynthia ran over to help him, their Carracosta and Lucario rushing over, too.

Elesa walked over to Roxie, who was still smiling. "See?"

Roxie tried to wipe the grin off of her face, but she couldn't. Then she stopped smiling when something popped into her head. "How should I ask him out?"

Elesa looked down at her. "What do you mean?"

Roxie blushed, her freckles becoming more prominent. "It's just that... I'm too shy to ask him out in person."

Elesa smiled. "I think I know a way."

~Lalalala~

"Be friends?" Roxie repeated.

After the little party (which ended with Zwelious evolving and trying to eat Brycen's Vanniluxe), Roxie decided to visit Elesa again.

"I think you should just try to be friends with him," Elesa said, blowing away a strand of her hair from her face. "Trust me on this one."

Roxie thought about this. Yes, she had a crush on Marlon. And, yes, Marlon was completely different from other guys. But being friends with him was okay, too. Sure, it would feel a bit weird. But still. It worked for everyone in those movies she saw in those cheesy PokeWood Studios movies.

Roxie smiled. Maybe being friends would be better for the time being. It'd be fun to hang out, both of them acting like morons, because that's what friends are for: being stupid together and not judge.

**Author's Note: Ah, it ended up being shorter than a Joltic... You guys will probably hate me for this... Ah, oh well. Lots of people hate me already, so that means I have nothing to lose, right? ;P Reviews make me happy! (Especially after a hard day of twelve paragraphs of AP Euro homework...)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, you people have seen that Sawsbuck do not have gender differences, or that Serperior do not have their hands CONSTANTLY behind their backs, so that means I don't own Pokemon.**

**Author's Note: WELP, sorry about the wait, fellow Pokemon Trainers. I have a practice test due when we get back to school, and IT'S 80 QUESTIONS LONG. On the plus side, you guys get an update! Enjoy!**

Sometimes, Roxie wished she was a lesbian.

Why? Because girls usually texted each other, and they were never too busy to help a friend level up another friend's Scoilipede.

Boys? Let's admit it: They're forgetful and never texted back, whether you were a friend or a girlfriend. Plus, what do guys even text about? Cars? Roxie made a mental note to herself: 'Look up on Google: What do guys text about?'

Roxie tried to distract herself. She was bored, and the only person in the house was her dad's Lucario. The Gym was closed on the weekends, and her band members were somewhere, but she didn't feel like finding out where.

So that's why she was currently playing Wii Tennis with Lucario. Surprisingly, Lucario was winning. Roxie felt ridiculous, losing at tennis to a Pokemon that didn't even have thumbs.

After forcing Lucario back into his Pokeball (he was laughing at her for losing for the umpteenth time), she tried to play the guitar. But she found it boring when there was nobody to play with. So she found two Guitarist girls and let them use the speakers in the Gym to practice.

One of the girls (Rowling) said that she was trying to get into a band, and she squealed in joy when Roxie said that she definitely had the talent in it. The other one (Anne) said that she was told that she could be a big hit if she would be nicer and dressed less "rock star-ish." Roxie yelled that that was completely unfair, but she wasn't yelling because of her anger. She was yelling because the music they were playing was really freaking loud.

_P-O-K-E-M-O-N... Pokemon!_

Marlon noticed he got a lot of stares as he made his way into the Virbank Gym. But he was wearing a shirt this time! Marlon saw that a lost of Guitarists, Hooligans and Roughnecks lived around this area, and wondered why Roxie would pick such a place for her Gym. The people here were unusually cranky, as if nobody ever got enough sleep. Maybe people were staring at him because he was smiling so much? Maybe that was it?

He found the Gym, which was relatively close to the Pokemon Gym, where he healed his Pokemon. Clyde had to yell at him because the music was so loud, telling him that Roxie and a few other Guitarists were practicing inside. Clyde gave him a Fresh Water and let him inside.

If some blind person had come inside, they would've thought that there had been twenty Guitarists inside as opposed to just three. Marlon hadn't heard Roxie before, and he was impressed with her guitaring skills. If only it was a bit more... Quiet...

He walked up to the white-haired girl, who was in the middle of a very long and very loud part of the song.

"Hey, Roxie," Marlon yelled, "I was wondering if you wanted to battle!"

A Dancer came over to him and yelled into his ear, "It's too loud! I don't think she can hear you!"

"How do I get her attention?" Marlon yelled back. Even the other two Guitarists couldn't hear them; they were far too absorbed into their music.

The Dancer shrugged. "Battle them? That's what one Trainer did to get the Toxic Badge."

Marlon smiled. "At least it'll get their attention."

He ran up to the Guitarist with the blonde hair. He held out a Pokeball and shouted, "I challenge you to a Pokemon battle!"

The girl looked up, and smiled and took out a Pokeball, herself. "Sure, I could use a little break! Medicham, go!"

The humanoid, pink Pokemon burst out of the Pokeball, waiting for the other Pokemon to appear.

Marlon yelled, "Go, Azumarril!"

The rabbit-like creature bounced around in joy, or was he dancing to the music?

"Medicham," the Guitarist said, "Use Calm Mind!"

The female Medicham levitated in the air, sitting Indian-style, a light-pink aura-bubble surrounding its entire body. It closed its eyes in concentration.

"Azumarril, use Giga Impact!" Marlon commanded.

The Guitarist said, "Medicham, counter it with Force Palm!"

Azumarril came charging at the foe with incredible speed, preparing itself for the impact.

Medicham's bubble seemed to burst, and it got back on its legs, one of its hands glowing an ominous dark brown. It ran at Azumarril just as fast, holding its palm back for full effect.

Marlon looked at Azumarril, and smiled. "Now, use Hydro Pump!"

Azumarril paused and doused the Medicham in its water, blinding it momentarily.

"Medicham!" the Guitarist cried. "Use Thrash!"

After successfully removing the water from its eyes, Medicham ran straight towards Azumarril and punched it repeatedly, not stopping at all.

"Use Hyper Beam!" Marlon said.

Azumarril opened its mouth wide, crying, "Aaaazzzzzuuuuuuu…."

Marlon smiled as he saw that Medicham was confused after using Thrash. This was the perfect timing.

"Mmmmmmaaaaa…" Azumarril aimed its mouth at Medicham, who stumbled around as if intoxicated.

"…..RRRRRRIIIIIIILLLLLLL!" A white beam of energy hit the Medicham with incredible force, knocking it off of its feet and surrounding the whole Gym with a bright, white light.

Roxie and the other Guitarist looked up. "What was that?"

"I won!" Marlon teased, as he returned his semi-injured Azumarril back into his Pokeball, and the Guitarist put her fainted Medicham into her Pokeball.

"Hey, Marlon," Roxie said, smiling and putting her guitar down. "What's up?"

"Wanna battle?" Marlon asked. "Two Pokemon only?"

"Sure thing, dude," Roxie said, playfully imitating his surfer guy lingo. "Regular or Double?"

Marlon shrugged. "Regular Battle."

"Sure thing," Roxie said, and chose her first Pokemon. "Galvantula, go!"

At the sight of the large, spider-like Electric/Bug Type, Marlon tensed up a bit.

Roxie almost smiled in spite of herself. "You can't tell me you're scared of Bug-Types?"

"No," Marlon said, "I… Uh, I d-don't like spiders…"

"Oh, come on, Marlon," Roxie said, hugging her Pokemon. "She's not gonna hurt you."

"You don't know that," Marlon accused.

Roxie giggled. "Oh, please, Marlon, you're making her sad."

Marlon tried to make himself look calm. "Go, Slowbro!"

A large, fat Slowbro emerged from the Pokeball, glancing around rather stupidly.

"Use Signal Beam!" Roxie said, and a green and purple beam came out from the Galvantula's mouth, aimed at Slowbro, who was much too slow to dodge.

"Use Psyshock!" said Marlon.

The Slowbro stood up and waved its small arms around, creating small, pink beams towards the Galvantula. The Galvantula, however, held its ground and survived the attack.

"Use ElectroBall!" Roxie commanded, and Galvantula now held a large, glowing ball in its front legs. It cackled with electricity. The Galvantula raised itself up on its hind legs and threw the sphere of pure electricity at the Slowbro.

The Slowbro did not know what had happened for a few seconds. The ElectroBall hit the Slowbro right on its forehead, and exploded from the impact. The Slowbro stood on its hind legs, smiling stupidly the entire time, not even knowing what hit him.

Twenty seconds later, the Slowbro felt the pain from Galvantula's attack and fell backwards, fainted.

"Slowbro, return!" Marlon said, returning his Slowbro into its Pokeball. "You did good, big guy."

"Galvantula, come back!" Roxie said, and returned her only Electric-Type into its Pokeball. She smiled at her friend. "Not feeling too cool in my Gym, huh?"

Marlon smiled. "I could still win, dude. Now, who wants to see my Gyarados?"

The double innuendo in his question turned the heads of every female in the room.

Roxie smiled, but covered her face into her hands to hide her red cheeks. "Oh, Arceus, Marlon…" She could hear the two Guitarists giggling next to her.

"What?" Marlon asked, holding up an Ultra Ball. "Last week, I traded my Haunter for a _red Gyarados_, and he's itching to fight!"

"Red Gyarados?" Roxie asked. "Marlon, _please_. Red Gyarados is just a myth."

Marlon smiled. "Really?" He threw the Pokeball high into the air, and out of it came out a large, red, Chinese dragon-like monster. "Then what's this?"

Roxie gaped up at the large, red Gyarados. "Uh… A red Gyarados…"

"Some dude from Johto caught it so it would stop rampaging at the Lake of Rage," Marlon explained, "And while I was at the Entralink, he told me that he wanted my Haunter, so we traded, and I got his red Gyrados."

Roxie smiled. "Ready or not, my next Pokemon will wipe the floor with your-"

Clyde came in running, looking alarmed. "Team Plasma… Outside the Gym… Thought you should know…" Then he proceeded to pass out.

"What?" Roxie shrieked. She took out her Pokeball. "Guys, stay here, I'll handle this."

Roxie couldn't help but feel thankful that Marlon and Gyarados followed her outside.

**Author's Note: OOOOHHHHH, CLIFFHANGER. Maybe I'll update in a week or two. (HOPEFULLY.) In the meanwhile, I'm planning another fic. Because technology and I hate each other, you might have to wait to see it being put up. It's about Ghetsis and N (NOT SLASH.) Giggle… Wait and see… Happy holidays!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Nope. Nope. Nope nope nope nope NOPE.**

**Author's Note: Yeah, so, my laptop crashed AS I WAS TYPING THIS CHAPTER. So, everything was lost, and I only cried for twenty minutes. I think that might be progress, but I'm not sure. Well, either way, this is supposed to be the start of the actual plot. ENJOY!**

"Tell me! Where's Purrloin?"

"For the last time, we don't know! It's probably still being used by another Grunt!"

Roxie ran outside, pulling out her Galvantula. The Qwilfish-haired guy and the quiet brunette guy appeared to have found themselves with two Team Plasma grunts.

"Ugh," Roxie said, "Not those guys again."

Marlon and Gyarados emerged, both staring at Roxie and the Grunts. "Who are they?"

All of them stared at him in disbelief. "Where have _you_ been for the past five years?"

"Hoenn," Marlon responded. Roxie remembered that Marlon had lived in Hoenn before coming to Unova last year.

"Well, whatever!" one of the Grunts said, "We're gonna have to liberate your Pokémon! Hand 'em over!"

"Guys," Roxie said, her Glavantula already getting pumped, "Help me out!"

As Qwilfish hair and his friend Double-Battled two male Grunts, and Marlon challenged a female Grunt, she, alone, faced a male Grunt with a lot of freckles. More than her, even.

"Hah!" he laughed, "I have to battle _you_? This is going to be _too_ easy! Go! Whimsicott!"

A very scared Whimsicott emerged from her Pokeball, softly crying and shivering. It looked so scared, Roxie felt bad for having to battle it.

"Whimsicott, use Gust!" the Grunt commanded. Whimsicott sent a weak, small tornado at Galvantula, but it did more damage than any of them could've thought. Galvantula was flipped upside down, unable to get its feet back on the ground.

"Galvantula!" Roxie said, "Signal Beam, now!"

Still upside down, Galvantula aimed at Whimsicott and sent a strong beam at Whimsicott.

Whimsicott whimpered. "Cotton Guard!" The cotton on the sheep-like Pokemon's back grew by an enormous amount.

"Galvantula, get on Whimsicott!" Roxie said. Galvantula struggled on its long legs before it turned right-side up again. Galvantula jumped on Whimsicott's soft cotton, but sent a confused look at her Trainer.

"Cover it with Electro Web!" Roxie said. Galvantula spit up a large amount of silky web, trapping the Whimsicott to the ground.

"DON'T JUST SIT THERE AND DO NOTHING!" the Grunt shrieked girlishly. "USE VINE WHIP!"

But poor Whimsicott couldn't use Vine Whip. The Electro Web was too strong, and she was being crushed under the weight of her own cotton.

"Finish it off with Thunderbolt!" Roxie said.

"_Garara_!" the Galvantula growled, and electricity coated both Galvantula and Whimsicott. At last, the Whimsicott was defeated, leaving the Grunt frustrated and defenseless.

The Grunt pretended not to be mad. "_Psh_. No big deal; I can always steal another one."

"Hey, doofus!" one of the other Grunts said. "We're going off to Flocessy to steal some more Pokémon! You go to the hideout and make sure no other _nosy Trainers_ go snooping in there!"

"It's never a good idea to yell out your plans in front of _nosy Trainers,_" Roxie said.

"Yeah," the female Grunt said, nursing her injured Phanpy. "But what can you do, huh?"

"We can stop you," the Qwilfish-haired one growled. "We'll head on to Floccesy. You two follow them to their hideout!" Meanwhile, one of the male Grunts had taken out a Staraptor and forced it to use Fly.

"Sure thing, dude!" Marlon agreed, and took out another Pokémon, this one looking like a swan.

"Swanna, follow that Plasma Grunt!" Marlon said, hopping on her back. The Swanna flew off at a speed that looked impossible for its fatness.

Roxie inwardly growled in annoyance.

She had only owned one Flying-Type Pokémon, and it technically wasn't hers. Braviary was actually her father's, and he owned him since before Roxie was born. There had been moments when Roxie, as a toddler, would clean her hands on Braviary's plumage, and pull at his feathers until they came out. He was not very fond of her at all.

Reluctantly, she took out a Pokeball and took out her father's prized Braviary. He had many scars and cuts, but he was proud to show them off to any Mandibuzz that would pass by.

"Raaaa…" it cried softly, ruffling his feathers in annoyance. Even after so many years, he still hater her.

"Alright, calm down," Roxie said, "I just need you to fly me towards wherever those two-" she pointed up at the dots that were Marlon and the Grunt "-are heading. Then you can go back to hating me. All right?"

Either way, she climbed onto Braviary's back and braced herself for what she knew would be a bumpy ride.

-La la la la-

Marlon awkwardly patted the sobbing Grunt's back.

"T-They're gonna kill me," the Grunt sobbed into his hands.

"It's okay, dude," Marlon said, still petting the Grunt awkwardly, "Everything's gonna be all right."

Then, what looked like a giant, white feather duster fell from the sky. At least, that's what the two men thought, until they saw that it was breathing. Roxie untangled herself from Braviary, not caring that she was covered head to toe in white and red feathers.

"Go eat some Magikarp or something," Roxie said, pulling a feather from her white hair.

Braviary, glad for an excuse to be away from her, flew off towards the nearest body of water.

"What _happened_?" Marlon said, helping her take the feathers off of her hair.

Blushing slightly, Roxie said, "Well, I might've pulled out some of his feathers by accident, and he might've gotten a bit mad at me, and he might've lost his concentration…"

He pulled out a red feather from her hair. "At least you're okay."

She smiled at hearing that, but remembered why they were here (Driftveil, apparently) in the first place.

She looked around, and saw two things: First off, there was a Plasma Grunt, lying on the ground, crying. Secondly, there was a construction sight. A building had just been knocked over. She recognized it as the Cold Storage.

"So why's he crying?" Roxie asked.

"The Cold Storage was Team Plasma's old hideout," Marlon explained. "This dude was in charge of making sure that nothing happened to it."

Roxie stared at the scene in front of her. "That is the most epic fail I have ever had to experience."

"I am so _dead_," the Grunt sobbed.

Awkwardly, Marlon patted his head. "Don't cry, dude. Everything's gonna be alright."

The Grunt sniffed. "Really?"

"Fo' reals!" Marlon said.

"Hey, get out of here!" a Worker yelled at them. "This is a construction zone, not a playground!" A large-ish, familiar-looking man came over, shooing the Worker away.

"Hey, kids," Clay greeted, walking up to them, "What're you up to?"

"Oh, just looking around," Roxie said.

"Yep," Clay said, "We're gonna build somethin' real nice over here. 'Course, we had to knock over the Cold Storage, but nobody really needed it around, so it wasn't a big loss."

The Plasma Grunt let out another sob.

"What we're buildin' here is called the Pokémon World Tournament. Bunch o' young Trainers from all regions are gonna come over and battle each other. It'll be a blast! You'll see!" His Cross-Transceiver rang, and he walked to a quieter place to answer it.

And, with that, the Grunt began to cry again. "T-They're gonna kill me!"

Roxie felt like she was in the middle of one of her mom's stupid soap operas. Like the one where Robin's husband doesn't show up at their wedding, and she just happens to hear that her sister Raven mysteriously disappeared the same day. Hmm.

She awkwardly patted the Grunt's head. "Well, look at the bright side."

The Grunt sniffed and looked up at her. "What's the bright side?"

Roxie tried to say something, but nothing came to mind.

Marlon thought of something, though. "The Pokémon World Tournament!"

"Huh?" both Roxie and the Grunt asked.

"You could always work there instead of at Team Plasma!" Marlon said, plastering his goofy smile on his face.

Roxie placed her face slowly into her hands. "Arceus, Marlon…"

"Yeah…" the Grunt said, smiling. He stopped crying and got to his feet. "Yeah! And I can get paid, too!"

Roxie placed her face into her hands again. "Good grief."

As the Grunt walked off to who-knows-where, Roxie turned to Marlon. "One Plasma Grunt down, another couple of thousand to go. We're making progress."

**Author's Note: Sucky ending is sucky. WELP, sorry about the wait AGAIN.**

**At least you can expect another chapter in a few more weeks, right? /shot**


End file.
